It is sure to be a great day of footy, would love to see as many people as possible out to help the day be the success it promises to be!

See the schedule and other details below:

This Saturday at 3pm we take the field against last years premiers, the Burnaby Eagles at DW Poppy Secondary School in Langley. We will need all players to be at the ground no later than 2pm, and as usual we will be carpooling from Safeway at Commercial Drive/Broadway leaving at 1pm.

Please let Wardy know your availability for the game ASAP. Going to be another great day of Footy in BC, and hopefully another great win for the West Coast Saints!

As the crowds filed through the gates and began filling the stands during the final minutes of the curtain raiser between the reigning premiers Burnaby and the Vancouver Cougars, the men in the red, black and white (to be more specific, the Saints) were putting the final touches on their match preparation. With last years heartbreak behind them, and ready to mount their assault on the new season, the atmosphere in the club rooms was electric, and as the Saints launched down the players race like warriors going in to battle, it was clear to one and all that it was on!

With the loss of some former stalwarts of the club, and and plenty of fresh faces in the line up, there was still an element of doubt in the minds of the coaching panel as to how well the new look team would gel together. All these doubts were immediately put to rest when the first siren sounded and the Saints jumped out of the gates like a prize dishlicker at the Cannington greyhounds, immediately working the ball out of the middle and into the attacking zone. The first attack was well defended by the young Bayhawks, however it didn’t take long for boys from the West Coast to to get back on top, with Kane “Chopper” Read drawing first blood with a beautiful goal as a result of hard running from centre half back. With the first goal on the board, the boys seemed to settle into a bit of a rhythm, and with the engine room of Lochie Scott, Sam “Accidental Rover” Sharley and the welcome (albeit short lived) return of Mr K Jeffrey working well in the middle roving off new tap ruckman Wes, the Saints were able to put a few more on the scoreboard and carry a bit of a lead into quarter time.

The Coasters began the second quarter in a similar fashion in which they finished the first. With some good free flowing play allowing the ball to find its way into the Saints forward 50, the new forward line set up spearheaded by “Papa” Lewis and Darra “I can probably kick a bag of goals” Conlan,  with support from goal sneaks Courtenay Hughs and the “Veteran” Tom Kewell, were able to add to the scoring total. However it wasn’t all the Saints way, as the Bayhawks were able to claw a couple back and close the margin before the half time siren sounded.

Convinced that the Delta side would not just allow the Saints to have it all their way, Coach Frost warned his troops not to get complacent, otherwise a small lead could turn around in a heartbeat and as the third quarter progressed it was clear that the Bayhawks still had a lot of fight left in them. Although there was some strong linking play across the middle of the ground through the likes of fresh faced youngsters Lochie Merideth and Jeff Ahmet, and first gamers, Taylor “Swift”, “Buffalo Bill” Rimmer and Shaun “Put my membership straight on the bar” Brish, the Saints were unable to make a real impact on the scoreboard. However it was through excellent defensive play from the likes of Clay “The New Bono” Holmes, Adam Speiroskavich, Coco Norris-Jones and a welcome Cameo appearance of league legend Stu “Grillsy” Grills that the Bayhawks were also unable to capitalize on their chances.

As the forth quarter commenced and the boys beginning to tire as a result of no interchange, the game was still there for the taking for either side. However the Saints troops rallied, starting the final term as though their legs were as fresh as at the start of the game with the on-ball crew continuing to fire on all cylinders, shooting the into the forward line resulting in a few quick goals. This kept up as the quarter continued with everyone chipping in, and any resistance by the Hawks was met with great defensive play by both the West Coasts forwards and defenders. At the final siren, the score board showed the game to be more one sided than it actually was, however the young Bayhawks put up a great fight against a more experienced side.

Thanks to all who attended and supported, the umpires, Graeme from the Bayhawks for bringing the goalposts, all our boys who helped out through the day, the lovely ladies who manned the barbecue during the game, and everyone who made it back to The Sin Bin afterwards and supported our great club sponsor

Final Scores WCS 17.15.117 Bayhawks 6.4.40

Saints Goal Kickers – D.Conlan 6 K.Read 4 K.Lewis 3 S.Sharley 2 T.Spelt 1 C.Hughs 1

This Saturday will see the Saints take on the Delta Bayhawks at Langley Stadium (DW Poppy Secondary), in what is sure to be a great first round encounter. Bounce down will take place at 3 pm, so all Saints players are requested to be at the field no later than 2 pm. However, as it is our home game and we are responsible for field set up/pack up and running the barbeque, we need as many people there for 12 pm to help the day run smoothly. We will be car pooling leaving from the Broadway/Commercial Safeway leaving at 11 am.

To help with organisation, could you please send Wardy and email (wfrost@westcoastsaints.com) if you are available for the game, and if you are able to drive and have spare seats.

Post match drinks and presentations will be held at The Sin Bin.

Looking forward to seeing you all there, it’s promises to be a cracking day of footy!

In the months leading up to the announcement, there had been much speculation as to the format that the new season would take, with some suggesting that the league would be modeling it on the new AFL NAB cup “3 halves” format, and others believing the traditional Grand Final would be replaced with a Warrior Dash/Wipe Out Canada type event to determine the league Premiers.

When questioned about the topic, prior to today’s announcement, League President “Krazy” Karl McGrath remained pretty tight lipped, other than suggesting that “there are a few options the committee is investigating.”

However, moments after Perry finished the announcement, he was quoted saying;

“After many hours nutting this out in the boardroom at BC Footy Towers, we opted to go for a traditional fixture. It has proven to work in the past, and we also felt that playing a game with three “halves”, or “periods” as some might call it, is actually quite absurd. And as for replacing the Grand Final with some obstacle course based event, I don’t even know where this idea came from, that’s just ridiculous.”

While this years schedule doesn’t vary much from previous seasons in format, there have been a couple of notable changes, with the main one being a change to the finals system. Instead of a three round series, with a second chance given to the two top finishing teams, this year sees the introduction of a two game series comprising of only semi and grand final matches. 2012 also sees the return of the prestigious BC Footy Cup, to be played early in the season.

It is shaping up to be another great season here in Vancouver, mark the dates in your calender and make sure you get involved and don’t miss any of the action!

For a copy of the full fixture click here

How can I do this you ask? Simple. The time has come for you to undo all the damage you’ve done over the off-season! Saints pre-season training begins this Wednesday the 15th of February (and every Wednesday after that). If you find yourself in the above situation, or simply want to get fit and enjoy some fresh air, come and join us.

For now we will be meeting at our sponsor pub, The Sin Bin (295 West 2nd Ave Vancouver), until we move to our regular training ground Jonathon Rogers Park. Start time will be 6 pm, just bring runners and some water.

Any questions, please contact Ward Frost – wfrost@westcoastsaints.com

See you Wednesday!

The season runs from April to September, with 9 regular season games plus finals, a handful of tournaments and road trips, along with plenty of social events to fill in the time between.

So, if you are around for one training session or one season, and this sounds like something you need to be involved in please contact Ward Frost – President/Coach – wfrost@westcoastsaints.com 0r 604 830 1026

Training will be starting soon, so watch this space!

If you are interested in these positions, know of some one who is or if you think you know the right person for the job please email the current president CLint “Mad Dog” Joy: clintjoy@builddirect.com

Thanks and I hope to see you there!

A few beers and snacks will be provided

Tickets are $10, which gets you VIP red carpet entry, a delicious feed and entry into the door prize draws!

Dress to impress, and Wives/Girlfriends/Partners are more than encouraged to attend!

Please RSVP to wfrost@westcoastsaints.com as soon as possible so we know how many to cater for.